Analilia Mejia Seeks Progressive Vote In NJ-11 Election To Replace Sherrill

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — Tired of “machine politicians?” Vote for Analilia Mejia, she says.

Mejia – a Glen Ridge resident and longtime social justice activist in North Jersey – is one of several candidates running to replace Governor-elect Mikie Sherrill in the state’s 11th congressional district, which includes towns in Essex, Morris and Passaic counties.

A special primary election will take place on Feb. 5. A special general election will be held on April 16.

Mejia – who is seeking the Democratic nomination in the primary – was one of the first candidates to officially launch a campaign for Sherrill’s now-vacant seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Since then, Mejia has redoubled her efforts on the campaign trail, drawing nearly 100 eager supporters to a rally in Bloomfield on Saturday despite the freezing cold. Volunteers gathered at the plaza across from the NJ Transit train station before knocking on doors in Bloomfield and neighboring communities.

“We're done settling for machine politicians,” Mejia said after last weekend’s rally. “This is our change for something new.”

According to Mejia, her agenda includes:

• “Hold Trump and his allies accountable for their corruption”
• “Taxing billionaires and big corporations to unrig the economy”
• “Guaranteeing universal health care and childcare for every American”
• “Fixing and funding our crumbling infrastructure”

Mejia also says that she is “rejecting corporate PAC money” during her run for Congress. Learn more about Mejia’s campaign platform here.

Stances like these have earned her the endorsement of progressive leaders like U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who called her a “consistent fighter for the people of New Jersey.”

“Analilia led efforts to ensure families had access to earned sick days, health care, and fair wages, and she has proven herself a true movement leader,” Sanders said.

“At a moment when oligarchs and corporate interests continue to capture our government, we need true progressives to take our country back for working Americans,” he added.

Mejia, the former director of the New Jersey Working Families Party, previously led campaigns for New Jersey’s $15 minimum wage and statewide paid sick leave laws. She served as Sanders’ national political director in 2020, and later as deputy director of the Women’s Bureau at the U.S. Department of Labor in the Joe Biden era. She was also honored as a “Champion for Change” by Barack Obama for her work advancing paid sick days.

Mejia spent a decade as a union organizer with 32BJ SEIU, UFCW and UNITE HERE. She currently serves as co-director of Popular Democracy, a national network of grassroots organizations.

The daughter of Colombian and Dominican immigrants, Mejia said her family struggled to make ends meet until her mom got a union job at a factory.

“I wouldn't be here if it weren't for the policies that liberated and uplifted my family,” she told attendees at last weekend’s rally in Essex County.

“I decided as a young child that I would dedicate myself to building that for other people,” Mejia said. “That is the kind of service I believe you should send to Congress.”

So far, her campaign has seen grassroots support, her campaign reported: Mejia submitted more than 1,500 signatures to get on the ballot for the Democratic primary.

“I’m so incredibly thankful for everyone who knocked doors and helped get us on the ballot,” Mejia said. “These were neighbors talking to neighbors about what’s at stake in this election.”

“People are fired up, and they’re ready for a representative who’s unbought and unbossed,” she added.

As her congressional campaign continues, Mejia has weighed in on controversial issues such as federal immigration, calling to “abolish” ICE after a detainee died at Delaney Hall in Newark on Dec. 12.

“This is a rogue agency that’s committing human rights violations on a daily basis,” Mejia alleged. “You can’t reform that or fix it with more oversight.”

“This agency has only been around for 22 years, so let's not pretend our immigration system has always functioned this way,” she added. “When I'm in Congress, you can count on me to get rid of ICE and replace it with a system that's humane and protects people's basic rights.”

• Related: NJ Immigrant Detainee Dies In ICE Custody, Sparking Outcry From Advocates

In addition to Sanders, other high-profile politicians who have endorsed Mejia include U.S. Rep. Ro Khanna of California.

“In this moment, with democracy itself under attack, she is exactly the type of leader we need in Washington,” said Khanna, also the child of an immigrant.

Newark Mayor Ras Baraka also backed Mejia’s candidacy, praising her “decades of advocacy, leadership and commitment to uplifting communities too often overlooked by Washington.”

“Analilia has spent her entire career fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with working people, leading the fights for a $15 minimum wage and paid sick days,” said Baraka, who saw the second-highest vote total in this year’s Democratic primary election for New Jersey governor.

• Read More: NJ Mayor's Strong Showing In Primary Gives Progressives Hope

Marc Chaaban, who suspended his own campaign for New Jersey’s 11th congressional district earlier this month, also said he is endorsing Mejia.

“I got in this race because we need someone in Washington who will actually stand up to corporate power and fight for working families,” Chaaban said. “Analilia has spent 25 years doing exactly that – and she’s the only reformer in this race who can win.”

Other endorsements for Mejia have come from:

Nedia Morsy, New Jersey director of Make the Road Action – “Analilia is the best candidate to build the multi-racial coalition that we need to deliver for our families. Analilia has a proven track record of working alongside New Jersey families to pass laws that have transformed millions of lives. In Congress, she will bring that same tenacity to challenge rogue agencies like ICE, hold Trump and his allies accountable, break up Big Tech, fight for our health care, and build an economy for all of us.”

Dena Mottola Jaborska, New Jersey Citizen Action executive director – “Analilia Mejia has a long-standing relationship with NJ Citizen Action, working alongside us to advance policies that lift up working families and build a fairer, more affordable New Jersey. She is a proven champion for working families.”

Ana Maria Hill, state director for 32BJ SEIU – “As the daughter of immigrants, a former 32BJ political director, and a lifelong union and grassroots organizer, she knows firsthand what working people are up against, because she’s lived it. She’s delivered real victories, from the fight for a $15 minimum wage to expanding paid sick leave in New Jersey.”

Ken McNamara, president of CWA 1037 – “At a time when working families need a true champion in Washington, we could ask for no greater ally and friend than Analilia. Whether it’s the fight for workers’ rights, paid family leave, affordable health care, or a living wage, Analilia has always stood with the working people of New Jersey.”

Matthew Buckley, co-chair of Joint Legislative Committee at Rutgers AAUP-AFT / Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union - “Our members need people in Congress who understand the threats we are facing today, as workers, as educators and scholars, and to our basic civil rights.”

WHERE IS THE 11TH DISTRICT?

New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District includes the following municipalities:

Essex County – Belleville, Bloomfield, Cedar Grove, Fairfield, Glen Ridge, Livingston, Maplewood, Millburn, Montclair (part), North Caldwell, Nutley, Roseland, South Orange, West Caldwell

Morris County – Boonton, Boonton Township, Butler, Chatham, Chatham Township, Denville, Dover, East Hanover, Florham Park, Hanover, Harding, Jefferson, Kinnelon, Lincoln Park, Madison, Mendham Twp (part), Montville, Morris Plains, Morris Township, Morristown Town, Mountain Lakes, Parsippany-Troy Hills, Pequannock, Randolph, Riverdale, Rockaway, Rockaway Township, Victory Gardens

Passaic County – Little Falls, Totowa, Wayne (part), Woodland Park

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com. Learn more about advertising on Patch here. Find out how to post announcements or events to your local Patch site.